| Stephen James Backshall | |
|---|---|
Steve Backshall |
|
| Born | 21 April 1973 Surrey, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Naturalist, Writer, Presenter |
| Known for | BBC Deadly 60 Program |
Steve Backshall (b. Stephen James Backshall) is a British naturalist, writer and television presenter, best known for BBC TV's "Deadly 60'. This series sees Backshall travelling the world in search of predators that are, "Not just deadly to me, but deadly in their own world". He has dived with Great White and tiger sharks, caught king cobras and black mambas, had a redback spider on his hand and was bitten on screen by a crocodile [1]. They are currently filming the third season of the series, which is transmitted on Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet and BBC worldwide. He has also presented The Really Wild Show, Lost Land of the Volcano, Lost Land of the Tiger,[2] Lost Land of the Jaguar, Expedition Alaska, Wilderness St Kilda and Expedition Borneo, and National Geographic Channel's EarthPulse series. He is also an author with the Rough Guides.
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"Lost Land of the Tiger" for BBC One saw the expedition team travel to Bhutan, and discover a new population of Bengal tiger, living high up in the Himalayas. [3] In "Lost Land of the Volcano", Backshall led the first expedition ever to enter extinct Mount Bosavi in Papua New Guinea, where they discovered new species of cuscus, frogs and giant rat.[4] In 2007, the BBC expedition team headed to Guyana for "Lost Land of the Jaguar", during which Backshall took part in the first expedition ever to successfully climb Mount Upuigma,.[5] On the summit they discovered an endemic species of frog and mouse, and also footprints of an unidentified mammal. He also filmed Extreme Caving for BBC One with Kate Humble and Secret Wilderness Japan for BBC Two. During this time he also presented Nature Reports for the BBC's The One Show.[6] On-air adventures in 2006 included Sky One’s Inside the King Cobra and the BBC's Expedition Borneo (in search of new species).
For National Geographic International, Backshall presented the expedition series Game For It and the environmental series EarthPulse. For Bootcamp, he completed the Israeli special forces selection course, running 60 miles overnight to gain their red beret. UK television viewers saw him travelling up Australia’s east coast from Tasmania to Cape Tribulation for his first series of The Really Wild Show. In the next series he then went on to travel around Central America, the Galapagos, and then Southern Africa for the last ever series in 2006. He competed with fellow naturalist Nick Baker in a series of wildlife challenges, with long-standing host Michaela Strachan.
Between 28 May and 15 June 2007, Backshall co-presented Springwatch Trackers alongside Kirsten O'Brien. Transmitted live on BBC Two from the Springwatch farm in Devon and repeated later in the day on the CBBC Channel, teams of boys and girls were set a series of Tracker challenges.
Backshall began working as a writer for the Rough Guides, and is an author on their Indonesia guide.[7] He continues to contribute to British newspapers, and his book Venom: Poisonous Creatures in the Natural World was published in 2007.[8] Deadly 60[9] and Wildlife Adventurer's Guide were published in 2009.[10] In 2011 he is releasing "Looking for Adventure" and "Predators" in Orion Publishing. [11]
Backshall is a rock climber and mountaineer, does adventure races, fell runs and endurance sports. He has climbed such peaks as Cho Oyu 8201m, and is an advanced Himalayan Expedition leader. He ran the Marathon des Sables 243 km across the Sahara desert[12] in 2005 to raise money for the Wolftrust[13] and has a black belt in judo.[14]Deadly60 kayaked the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, and has competed in the Tough Guy race over ten times with a best finish of ninth. [15]
In July 2008, Backshall fell 10m onto rocks at the Wye Valley in the Forest of Dean after attempting to climb a steep cliff face which was wet from an earlier rainfall. The impact sent his heel bone through the bottom of his foot, dislocated his ankle and fractured two vertebrae in his back.[16]
In 2009, Backshall was nominated for three BAFTAs, Best Children's Television Presenter, Best Children's series, and Best Factual series for Lost Land of the Jaguar,[17] as well as an Emmy for Expedition Borneo.